Diego's Journal
by KaylaDestroyer
Summary: The long awaited return of Diego's Journal! This is slightly edit and has some differences to my  Ice Age 4 story, but please enjoy! R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Diego's Journal by Karissa S. McKenzie

Oct. 7, 2010

Dear Journal,  
You are very odd yet interesting to me. I enjoy the human's hobby of writing my thoughts and experiences and ect. down every day or is my first ' entry '. I'm still getting used to writing like a human, so I also consider this was my first day of school at Prehistoric High. Being an adult saber acting like a human 17 year-old, that's interesting, isn't it? I'm glad I stumbled upon this method of writing, because I feel like your my special silent person here I can talk to, whenever I want, especially if I have a secret that even my own herd can't know. Anyway, today was HORRIBLE! I mean sure, I woke up at six A.M. right before my ' alarm clock ' went off. ( I think they call it that becaues it jolts you awake with an alarmingly loud noise ), I got to school on time, BUT only to be stopped right in front of the buiding's door by a bunch of immature, annoying, teenage human bullies. One said, " Hey, your the new kid here, right? "

I answered, " Yes, is there a problem with that? " Then the kid grinned evilly and shoved me to the ground. " Hey! what's the big idea here? " I shouted at him. They laughed like cartoon villains and walked into the building. I got to my 'classroom', but the bell rang just as I grabbed the ' doorhandle. ', which made me groan. So as you can guess I was late for ' first period'. ( These human terms are reeeaaaly weird to an animal like me ). I was confused about almost EVERY thing in almost EVERY 'subject' in almost EVERY 'class'/'period!' Ooooooooohhh! At least I think by tomorrow I'll understand almost everything better. But the bullies and my brain weren't the only problem. All the other students took one look at my muscles, height, and teeth and ran inside their 'classrooms'. Or pressed themselves up against the ' lockers ' as I walked by. Even the teachers were afraid of me! I just scoffed, but now I'm not sure that was the best thing to say. I don't want everybody to think I'm some kind of mutant monster! And the only time I spoke to anybody between classperiods, was when I was yelling or talking sternly to those bully teens to back off. Also scaring every one else around me. I don't usually worry about socializing, but in this new, world, I think it just might be , on my first day of highschool in the modern human world of 2010, I didn't have any luck making people like me at all. Manny and Ellie have said they've heard from other parents that a child's first day at a new school is always tough. In my case, I think mine was EXTREMELY tough! Wait! I hear someone knocking on my door! One sec-

Later...  
Whew! it was just Sid telling me dinner is ready. He's supposed to act like he's the second born in our family. Crash and his twin Eddie, who are possums, are supposed to be third,and Peaches, Manny and Ellie's actual daughter, is fourth born. She and her parents are Wooly Mammoths, Eddie like his twin Crash are possums, and Sid is a sloth. We're a pretty weird herd, but now we have to act like we're a family by blood until we figure out how to get back home to our time. I'm supposed to be first born, the oldest incase you haven't figured that out yet. I managed to tuck you and my special journal pen, which is only to be used when I write in you, safely under my bed. Well, I told Sid I'd be ' downstairs' in a minute, so I have to go. But I'll definetly be back tomorrow!

Diego W. Mamodoth P.S. Diego is my real first name, Wess is my fake middle name, and Mammodoth is a last name Sid came up with for us, and well, it stuck!

Oct. 8, 2010

Dear Journal,  
On just my second day, I feel real comfortable writing in you, 'cause I was kind of uncomfyat first. Today, I met this clique of girls who don't believe that you should fall in love with a guy just because they're hot or sound like the only sensible teenage girls when it comes to boys around here at Prehistoric High. There's six of them, seven including their leader, who they praise as the wisest boyfriend chooser. This chick sounds pretty decent, and they said that I could meet her tomorrow. For the first time coming to this new world, I'm actually interested in meeting a human girl. Well, like I said, I understood things at school for the most part. Since I'm improving acedemically, I think tomorrow or the day after tomorrowI'll start working on making friends. Crash and Eddie each have two best friends ( second to eachother though, Crash and Eddie always put eachother first. )Peaches found a friend at BJ elementary as well, Sid is getting along with someone too. Manny and Ellie have even found adult friends. But I think it's safe to say I'm the only one who hasn't made at least one friend yet. Those bullies seemed to be a little less on my case today, maybe I taught them a lesson yesterday. Or maybe it was because I complained to the 'principal ' and my teacher. I think I'm already improving at a human teenager's life in modern 2010. More tomorrow, Sid's come to tell me about dinner again.

Diego W. Mammodoth

Oct. 9, 2010

Dear Journal,  
Today, I think I made a real social improvment. I also have observed that my personality has somehow gotten a teen tweak added to it. Anywho, even though I still just scoff and grunt at the teens, mostly,I also think I made my first friend today! His name is Jonathan, but he prefers to be called' Joe ' or ' Joey '. i like Joey better. He has light orange hair, ' chocolate ' brown eyes, and can be quite bold and persistant. I was calmly putting some stuff in my locker, when I heard the Skater Boyz talking to one of their members (Joey )on the other side of the ' hall '. They call themselves that because they're the only boys there that formed a group of skateboarding teens. One of them said," You wanna' make friends with him? " and another said,

" Listen man,I'm usually all for welcoming a new student, especially ones that don't want to be here, but he seems to send the memo ' Stay away from me ', and personally, I agree with him."

Then I heard a third voice, a kind voice, " Guys, I'm sure he's just shy or scared. He might not wanna' talk to anyone becuse his first taste of Prehistoric High was The Pack's torturous bullying. ( sigh ) I think he really either can't or doesn't want to open up, so, someone needs to do it for him. " Did I mention how quiet they were talking? Of coarse,  
my cat ears could hear them just fine. I could hear the kid's feat practically clearly as he walked over to me. Then the sound stopped. I took a step back, closed my locker, and turned around to meet him face to face. I soon as I had, the kid stuck out his right hand and said, " Hey, uh, I'm Jonathan!"I stared at him for a second, just taking in all the details about him I told you about him about 13 ' sentances 'ago. I finally shook his hand with my right paw.

" Diego. " I said. Then I felt my face crack into a grin. " not a bad kid. " I thought. He was apparently quite friendly. I said to him, " Nice to meet you. " when I let go of his hand.

He smiled and chuckled, a little nervously. " I'm not even going to ask why your hand was so soft and, furry-ish. "  
I replied, " Good, 'cause I'm not even going to bother explaning why. " I said it in a playful way that made both of us giggle. He was really nice and easy to get along with once I got past his fear. When we stopped laughing, there was a bit of an awkward silence, and I noticed him staring at my teeth during that time. My grin felt like it had stretched from ear to ear. He looked pretty scared, but I knew that at a time like this, the best thing to loosen someone up is to make 'em laugh, or feel interested in something. I rubbed my right saber tooth, " Pretty scary,huh? " said to him. The kid nodded absentmindedly, staring at me with interest, not paying any attention to exactly what he was doing. I chuckled and said, " Yeah, my parents think it's real ' creative ' to wear an halloween animal costume to school, so they made me. " Me and Joey burst out laughing at that at the same time. I leaned against my locker as I finished laughing. Then we just stood in silence again, me feeling awkward.

Then Joey smiled and asked, " Hey, you wanna' meet my friends? "  
I peeked around him at the Skater Boyz, they looked terrified, shocked, and interested all at once. I lowered my head in embarassment, " I think they're too scared to even talk to me. " I said quietly, and turned my face away.

I could feel Joey's eyes on me, he said, " I'm sure that once they find out you're not as, you know, gruff as you act, they'll take a real liking to you. "  
His voice sounded so pure and genuine. " You really think so? " I asked in a whisper, looking at him hopefully.  
He nodded, " I'm sure. Come on! " he prodded me encouragingly. I took one last look at the Skater Boyz, then took a step forward, finding myself walking over to them, staring at the floor. When we reached the other side of the hall, I looked up at them. Or rather, raised my head to the point at which I could see all their faces clearly, since I'm the tallest life form in the school. I may be able to fend people away to defend myself, (don't tell the herd this), but I'm actually quite shy when it comes to making friends in a place like this. My parents just didn't get the chance to tell me how to socialize very much. So I was quite nervous.

" Uh, hi! " I said quietly. They all stared at me increduously.

" Uh, hi.. " one said. He had brown skin, so I guessed he was African-American.

Another one, he looked real laid back, said, " Hey, your not as gruff as you seem. "

I smiled and chuckled. " Eh, when it comes down to it, I'v got a heart for friends or people who're nice to me. "

Another one of them stepped forward, " Really? " he asked.

" Yeah. " I said. For the rest of the day, during our free time, or whatever time we got, we all got to know eachother better. I was able get each of their phone numbers, and called each of them after I got home from school earlier. Of coarse, I was a bit of a problem since I used the ' house phone ' for those 80 min. Manny ( my pretend dad ) said that I would get used to the ' technologies'of this new world quicker than the rest of us seeing how well I used the phone after being told how to use it only once. Infact, he said he'd get me a ' cellphone ' of my own tomorrow. Lot's of kids are totally obsessed with their cellphones, so I'm excited to see what they are like. And of caorse he'll get me minutes, otherwise I can't even call my new friends on it. one more thing, I'v noticed I have a favorite type of meat here, chicken. It's a weird name, but it taste's delicous! More tomorrow! It's time for dinner, and Ellie's serving more chicken!  
G'night!

Diego W. Mammodoth

Oct. 10, 2010

Dear Journal,  
Me and the Skater Boyz are becoming great friends. I'm one of their members now, and today they taught me bunch of awesome ' skateboarding ' tricks at the skating park after school! I haven't told my herd about them much though, I just don't feel comfortable telling them the changes I'v noticed in myself and the new things I'm doing. See, I of have a lot of pride in myself, but now I can see, happily, that all that is slowly wearing down. On with ' acedemicall ' things, I got an A+ on my ' chemistry ' test! I'v taken a real interest in it too. It's just so interesting to learn about all the tiny particles and chemicals that make up living things! I realize what an achievement that is for an animal, who would regularly be hunting for my food,living in a pack in the wild, reproducing, blah blah- blah, blah blah! But here I am, getting the education that usually only a human would recieve. I understand everything the way an average human student would, I can socialize the way a shy student would, somehow this human life of 2010 is easier than I thought it would be. So many things that I thought were impossible are happening. Tomorrow I have a math test, a literature test, and a chorus practice. I'm pretty confident about my tests, just please never tell my herd about the chorus thing. Singing is something I almost never had any interest to participate in until now. We're doing program called " Never Give Up Your Hope ". I hope I don't embarass myself the night of the performance since I have only sung a couple times in my life. And it was just to myself, not in front of or for anyone, let alone a high school cafeteria full of humans. Yet for some strange reason, I have a small hope that I will get some sort of solo. Back to my friends, me a Joey are getting real tight in our friendship. To me, he feels like my best friend out of the whole school. I'm seriously thinking about setting up a study date with him for a test some time. Then a play date, then some more play dates, and finally a sleepover, just to get my herd to know Joey. Then more study dates and play dates and sleepovers and, ahhh! Yeah, that would be totally awesome! Maybe Manny and Ellie would let me invite all the Skater Boyz over for some fun. If they ever find out about them and meet them.

Me and Joey actually seem to have alot of things in common. Over the summer, my herd and I found out a lot of new things about ourselves. Like our favorite ' ice cream ' 'flavors ' and such. Me and Joey both favor ' chocolate '. Joey says that it's probably a common flavor amoung people, and, I didn't say this, but I think that if any other saber heard the word ' chocolate ', they would think you were speaking gibberish. We both like adventure rated ' video games, movies, and other forms of entertainment '. You can often find us chatting (in between classes) about ' cheat codes ', the newest movie to be put in ' theatres, ' or is in theatres already that we havn't seen yet. We both love chicken, our favorite movie series is Shrek, our favorite contemporary christian band is Newsboys, we both adore the color lime green, our favorite chick celebrity is, heh, yet to be decided. Us Skater Boyz always go for a practice at the park, unless of coarse there's a probmlem withthe weather, someone has a serious personal prolem, or someone is sick. If there's a problem, we'll most likely spend practice talking about it with them. If someone is sick, we'll all come to their house to make 'em feel better already. All the things we do for eachother are a club promise to be friends who are always there for eacth other, kind of like my herd, that's why I like these kids so much. I just hope that someday they can forgive me for lying to them, all this time.

Getting real personal on me, my locker is decorated with Newsboys stuff, a picture of the Skater Boyz, ( since their tradition is to take a group pictuere every time a new member is added ) a picture of my herd standing together as a family, and some personal little knick-knacks. That's all for now, more tomorrow. G'night!

Diego W. Mammodoth


	2. Chapter 2

Hey all! Diego's Journal is back with a new day! Enjoy & R&R!

* * *

Oct. 11, 2010

Dear Journal,

Today, Tanner and The Pack were absolute, total, complete, devils to me! You wouldn't believe what they did! Well, truthfully it was a number of things, but unruly, immature, and all out mean anyways. I can't believe the way I got them in trouble for it, but at least that shows I'm good at biting down on my anger. Oh, sorry. I never did describe those bullies from the first day of school, did I? I found out about them from other kids at school. The leader is Tanner, his hair is kind of styled like Manny's, and it's colored blonde. One of the members, Max, with black hair and green eyes, likes to go by 'Morph'. Then there's the brains of them, Lucas, who likes to go by 'Leonardo'. And, last but most definitely not least, there's James. A big hulking kid who likes to go by 'Crush', which is quite understandable. Whenever their bullying gets physical, Crush is the pummeller. They call themselves 'The Pack'. When I walked into school today, just as I was reaching for my locker, I felt my 'backpack' get tugged of my back quickly. " Hey! " I said, and when I turned around, Tanner's buddy 'Morph' was holding my backpack with a mischievous grin on his face. I stepped forward and reached out to grab my backpack, but 'Leonardo' and 'Crush' grabbed me. While I wrestled them, Morph stole my math homework page, the most difficult of them all, out of my backpack. Then the leader, Tanner, said,

" Alright, let him go. We got what we wanted. " Crush and Leonardo nodded and let go of my wrists. Only when I looked at Morph and my backpack, which was dropped on the floor, did I see that he had my homework page.

" Hey! That's mine! " I said and stepped forward again, but Crush blocked my path with his big body, growling at me.

" Yeah, well. Now it's ours! " Tanner said, an evil grin on his face.

I glared at him, " You WILL get in trouble for this. " I said sternly. Leonardo laughed at me.

" Do you know how many kids have lost their homework to and their grades suffered from us for the past three school years? " he asked.

" No, but I'm willing to bet I'm the first adult student this has happened to. " I grumbled under my breath.

" What was that? " Tanner asked, staring at me with a hard face that yet had interest.

" Nothing " I replied audibly. Tanner stared at me for a few moments, and I stared back at him, straight into his eyes. He finally looked at Morph, and I noticed defeat in his eyes.

" You have the paper? " he asked. Morph nodded. " Good. " he said, then turned to me, " You will tell no one about this, " he leaned in close to my face, and I saw desperate perserverance in his eyes, " or you will regret not controlling your mouth! " he finished in a whisper.

" *scoff* That's a laugh. " I said quietly, smiling. " If only you knew what I could do to you..." I thought . Tanner's eyes burned with anger.

" Boss, let's go. We'll be late for homeroom, and the teacher will question all of us. " Crush spoke up.

Tanner looked away and said, " Crush is right, " then he took a step back and looked at me again, " we shouldn't waste our time on him. " he said.

When they left, I picked up my backpack and finished putting stuff in my locker, and, reluctantly, walked in the direction The Pack had gone. Sadly, them and I have the same 'homeroom'. I walked into my homeroom and sat down at my desk. While I was getting my stuff out, I looked up and noticed Tanner putting my homework page in his backpack and then stuff his backpack under his desk. When he looked up from doing so, he caught me watching him, and grinned evilly. I glared at him before preparing myself for first period. My schedule is actually a little funny. As in weird, because in first period class, there's also Tanner. Then in second period there's Crush. Third period, I have lunch at the same time The Pack does. Fourth period, Morph. And fifth period, you guessed it, Leonardo. So throughout the day, I have to deal with the members of the pack one by one. Anyway, this is my schedule:

Diego Wess Mammodoth 0922346784 First Period: Math 10 Mrs. Willowberg Room No. 54 Second Period: P.E. Coach Forcewill Gym

Third Period: Lunch Cafeteria

Fourth Period: Language Arts 9 Ms. Rose Room No. 36

Fifth Period: Science 9 Mr. Atom Science Lab No. 1

Sixth Period: Writing 9 Mrs. Pen Room No. 24

Seventh Period: Social Studies 9 Mr. Nativner Room No. 206

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I'm in 9th grade, but I'm in a 10th grade math class. But, back to the very first subject, as soon as the bell sounded for end of homeroom, I stood up, grabbed my back pack, and walked out of the room. When I got to my math class, I sat down at my desk, arranged my math materials on it, and pulled out the book I was currently reading for pleasure while the teacher seemed to be grading papers before class started. I looked up to where Tanner was. We're both on the first row, I'm in the center, and he's on the right end. He seemed to be too busy drawing something to notice me. I looked at the teacher as she passed out the morning work. When I was given my sheet, I put my book away and began to work on it. Then, a few minutes later, five minutes before class would begin, Mrs. Willowberg announced she would be collecting the homework sheets from yesterday. I began to feel sick, because everyone had them on their desks. Everyone except me. I didn't want to get in trouble, I'm a good student really, I just have a problem with those annoying bullies. I just kept my head down and continued my morning work. When she reached my desk she looked down at it, then asked me, " Diego? " Her voice was very kind. She's a very kind person after all, but she can be quite firm if the occasion arises.

" Yes, Mrs. Willowberg? " I looked up at her sheepishly.

" Did you accidentally leave your homework at home? " she asked me.  
" No, ma'am. " I answered her, looking back down at my desk.

" Then, where is it? " she asked. I looked back up at her, and I saw genuine worry and interest in her eyes. No anger or anything like that. I sucked in a deep breath, and changed my position from hunched over my desk to sitting up straight and confident, and I put a straight, bold look on my face.

" Mrs. Willowberg, while I was at my locker this morning, I was, you could say, 'attacked' by The Pack, that group of bullies. They took my backpack off my back, stole the homework page from yesterday out of it, and if you don't believe me, you can go check Tanner's backpack because that's the last place I know he put it. " I said, looking her straight in the eyes. Mrs. Willowberg observed me for a moment, then turned to Tanner.

" Tanner, will you please bring me your backpack? " she asked him in an innocent voice. I turned to Tanner as well, and I saw his mouth hanging open in shock. " Tanner? " she asked again. He blinked and shook his head, then stood up and went to his cubby, and brought Mrs. Willowberg his backpack. She set the papers she had already collected on my desk and proceeded to search through Tanner's backpack for my paper. Tanner shifted nervously from foot to foot, and the rest of the class watched in anticipation. After a few seconds, Mrs. Willowberg raised her eyebrows and pulled a sheet of paper out of Tanner's bag. She turned one side to me, " Diego, these are your answers? " I looked at the paper. It had my name at the top, and I recognized the answers I had worked so hard to get.

I nodded, " Yes, they are. " I could hear gasps and shocked whispering throughout the class around and behind me.

Mrs. Willowberg nodded at me, " Thank you. " Then she turned back to Tanner, who had dread written all over his face. " Tanner? " she said to him.

" Yes, Mrs. Willowberg? " he answered her, looking embarrassed.

" You have detention after school today. Let this be a lesson to you never steal someone else's homework again. "

Tanner put his head down, " Yes Mrs. Willowberg. " he said.

" Now, since this is the only time you've ever done it, I'm not very angry with you. " she told him. Tanner looked up at her and smiled innocently and gratefully.

" Thank you very much, ma'am. " he said. I could have exploded laughing right there. " The only time he's ever done it? " I thought. I accidentally let out a snicker, then covered my mouth smiling.

" Diego, do you have something you would like to say? " Mrs. Willowberg asked me. I looked up at her.

" When I was 'attacked', Leonardo mentioned to me that over the past three school years, many students have lost their homework and their grades suffered from The Pack stealing it. And I can only assume no one was brave enough to tell the teacher about it. " I said to her smiling.

Mrs. Willowberg's eyes widened and she raised her eyebrows. I glanced at Tanner, and his eyes were wide with shock and disbelief, and his face was pale with fear. He was staring at me too.

" In fact, in my opinion, if you ask him if it's true, he'll probably deny it and try to make you think I'm lying. " I added. Now the level of noise around and behind me raised and everyone began to talk at regular voice level.

" Well, this certainly is a problem that must be fixed! " Mrs. Willowberg exclaimed, her face looked angry. I've never before seen her angry. She walked briskly over to the phone at the back of the classroom, and Tanner's face went white, and his eyes looked too big for his face. I felt a little bad for him, this was quite an ordeal for a teenager. Mrs. Willowberg called Tanner's parents, and told his mother about what he had been doing, " He must have been very secretive about it to make sure you and your husband didn't know! " she said.

" Husband? " I thought, " What's a husband? Hmm, maybe it's the human term for 'mate'. " I watched Tanner, and he looked as though he was feeling worse and worse. I actually felt terrible and sorry for him for a moment. But I realized that if he were my child I would feel the need to discipline him for such a thing. I sighed and listened as Mrs. Willowberg told Tanner's mother and then father about how he and his friends had been ruining the lives of other teens. I myself personally found it 'inhumane'. If you think that this was a big issue, you just listen to what happened along the coarse of the day. Anyway, after explaining to Tanner's father, Mrs. Willowberg was silent for a while, as though she was listening. Then, she turned back to Tanner, her face calm and normal. " Tanner, your father would like to speak to you. " she said quietly.

I watched him walk over, and I knew what he was emotionally experiencing. I remembered when I was younger, and how I didn't meet my father's standards for being a saber, and he didn't take my big heart lightly. Tanner's father probably expected him to be a good, honest boy, but it seemed as though he hadn't met those standards. Tanner slowly walked to the back of the room, and took the phone from Mrs. Willowberg, and said into it, " Dad? " and then his face was a hurricane of emotions as he listened to his father. I was glad the phone wouldn't allow his dad's voice to be heard throughout the room. " Yes sir. Yes dad. Okay. " were the only things he said while his father spoke.

When Tanner's father seemed to be finished speaking, Tanner handed the phone back to Mrs. Willowberg. Then he walked slowly back over to his desk, his head drooping sadly, eyes staring at the floor. When he passed my desk, he glared daggers at me, before looking solomnly back down at the floor. I had a feeling that today wasn't going to be a good day. But I was wrong. Well, half wrong.

Later on, after class, I saw Tanner and the rest of the pack huddled up together, and I just knew they were coming up with some sort of plan, probably talking trash about me too. A few minutes afterward, I was at my locker, and Crush came over and tapped my shoulder. I of coarse turned around, I didn't know who it was and all I knew was that someone had tapped me. Sadly, trying to act like a human teenager as much as possible put me in a state where I couldn't use my reflexes as fast as I usually would. When I saw Crush behind me, I only had time to process the thought that he was probably gonna' hurt me real bad before I felt something hard as "iron" hit me square in the jaw. I fell back and leaned against my locker, too stunned and shocked to do anything, breathing fast and eyes wide. After regaining my bearings, I took a deep breath in, let it out, and turned back to my locker. I finished what I had been doing, and went to the nurse's office. I could feel Crush's shocked eyes watching me, and all around me, teens were staring at me and whispering to each other. I touched my mouth as I walked, and discovered my lips were bleeding on one corner. I walked into the nurse's office explained what had happened. The nurse went berserk and called for Crush to come, then when he got here, she called his parents. Boy did Crush get in trouble! That was the second time I had gotten one of those annoying bullies in trouble by simply telling the truth after they did something to me. :) Anyway, the nurse fixed me up, and sent me to my next class. And just in time, too! I was almost late. Now of coarse, I would no doubt have to deal with Crush again. Truthfully, I didn't want to have anything more to do with the lot of them.

I walked into the gym and stood in my spot behind Gregory, one of my classmates in this period. The teacher, Mr. Forcewill, began to call roll the second I got into place. He called out students by alphabetical order, so my name was the eighteenth one he said. His voice was like a 'fog horn', and every name he called out boomed throughout the room like thunder. Except mine. He had been informed about my sensitive hearing, so when he spoke to me or said my name, he said it at average person calling level. " KATHERINE ARGUNDY? " he called, and I winced a little, pressing my ears against my head under my baseball cap. I'm not sure what Manny said, but after discussing it with the principal when he was enrolling me here, I was given permission to wear my cap during classes.

" Here. " Katherine answered.

" MAXFORD BOBWIND? " he called. I winced harder and pressed my ears to my skull.

" Here. " Maxford answered.

" DEVIN CAT-EAR? " I winced even harder, and wished I could suck my ears into my skull. I was also reminded of how bad I felt for Devin. His ears were pointed quite a bit, but they weren't exactly like cat ears, and that was where his name came from. The Pack would tease him every day about it. I of coarse had real cat ears, and I could hear Crush's taunts when Mr. Forcewill was giving instructions. After calling fifteen other names out louder than life, making me at one point open my eyes in fear and frustration, clenching my teeth together quite hard, what I thought was truly a miracle that happened every day took place. " Diego Mammodoth? " Mr. Forcewill called out at the regular voice level someone would call out something. It almost sounded like he was talking at regular voice level instead of calling out. I sighed quickly and relaxed myself.

" Here. " I answered. Then continued my daily frenzy of winces at P.E. as Mr. Forcewill called out the last twenty two names, as my class here has thirty kids in it and almost everyones' last name starts with a different letter of the alphabet.

When he finished, Coach Forcewill began instructions. Today, we were going to be practicing for the boy's volleyball team tryouts. He grabbed a volly ball from a bin, and surveyed the room. I could've sworn he stared at me for a moment longer than he looked at everyone else. Then, after seeing everyone else, he threw the ball up up in the air, and hit it with his fingertips, heading straight in my direction. All the other kids around me ducked to the side, or shielded their faces with their hands. It wasn't heading for Crush, so he didn't seem to care. But I was different. I watched the ball, waiting for the exact moment to reach out and grab it, not blinking even once. Then my mind made a split second decision, instead of catching it, perhaps he wanted me to hit it back. I had seen some volleyball games on tv before, and there was no catching the ball what so ever. Making sure my claws were retracted, I readied my paws, and hit the volleyball with the tips of my toes. Coach Forcewill made fists with his hands, thumbs out, put his hands together, and hit the ball back with his wrists. I copied him. He spiked the ball to me, I spiked it back. We repeated the process three more times, then Coach Forcewill caught it instead of hitting it back, smiling at me. I noticed the other students staring at me, and I felt embarrassed, being the center of attention at the moment. " Diego? " Coach said.

I had my head down, so I looked up at him with my eyes. " Yes sir? " I answered, almost inaudible.

" I think you should take joining the boy's volleyball team into high consideration. " he told me. I snapped my head up at him, smiling.

" Really? " I asked him at regular voice level. He nodded.

" Definitely. " he replied. I grinned from ear to ear.

" Thank you. " I said to him. Then he continued the class. Each student got a partner, and each group of two chose one spot in the room to practice what Coach and I had just demonstrated. My partner was Devin, and I was glad for his sake that Crush was on the other side of the room, unable to taunt him. He seemed nervous, and didn't put much effort into practicing. I decided to help him get his mind off Crush. I guided his arms through the movements without the volleyball, and tried to be constantly talking to him. It worked, and soon both me and Devin were having a grand old time hitting the ball back and forth. At the end of class, I walked out of the gym with Devin, just in case Crush got any ideas. He did, but Devin wasn't his target.

" Hey you! Fang boy! " I heard Crush's voice. Assuming he could only mean me, I turned to him. He walked up and stared at me for a moment, then said, " That's a good nickname for you; Fang Boy. " He had an evil grin that put me on edge. I rolled my eyes.

" How discriptive of you Crush, no wonder you make good grades in language arts. " I replied sarcasticly, and a few of the students including Devin giggled. Crush glared at me.

" You know, perhaps there was a mix up at the hospital where you were born, and your supposed to be a Cat-ear while Devin is supposed to be a Mammodoth. " he said. Devin stared at me, wondering what I would do. The few times that I take my cap off expose my ears, and I know a lot of students stare, but no one ever says anything. Crush was the first person to acknowledge this verbally.

I shrugged, " I guess that explains why I can hear you through a wall just be looking at you through a window on a classroom door window. " I replied smiling, and the other students started laughing. Crush's face flushed red with anger.

" You like funny, huh? " he asked me. " Why don't you go off and become a professional comedian then? "

I replied, " You know that's a good idea! Escape all this homework and bullies and cafeteria food. Making people laugh for a living has actually been a personal dream of mine! " I said enthusiasticly, and the whole hallway burst into hysterical laughter, a few students voiced their agreement. Devin was leaning against the wall, falling onto the floor. I grinned wide, since it seemed that I was winning this. Crush stared at me, fuming, unable to come up with anything else to say. I had clearly won this battle, so I walked away, feeling good about myself. As I walked down the hall, the other students commented on how funny I was, and I high-fived a few of the boys. A group of them asked if they could nickname me " The Joker " because I was so funny. It wasn't to be mean, so I said, " Sure. "

I suddenly felt that something was wrong, and I turned around to find Crush holding Devin by the front of the collar of his shirt, ready to punch him in the face. " Hey! " I said, and Crush turned to me. He narrowed his eyes, and the hallway fell silent.

" What are you gonna' do? Make me laugh to death? " he asked me. I walked briskly back over to him.

" Put Devin down! " I told him. He scoffed. I reached up and grabbed the arm he was gonna' punch with, twisted it, and held it behind his back.

With my teeth gritted, I said, " I said, put Devin down. " Crush put him down, and he hid behind me. I released Crush's arm, and he stomped off, no doubt to find the rest of The Pack. The regular chatter returned to the hall. I turned to Devin, " You wanna' sit with me and the Skater Boys at lunch? " I asked him. He smiled and nodded.

" Thanks. " he said. We headed off to lunch, and Devin, me, and the rest of the Skater Boys ate lunch together, talking, laughing, having fun. I never really thought I could have humans as such good friends. Although having humans as enemies I was quite used to. Luckily, The Pack didn't do anything to me, and I continued onto language arts class in peace, with Devin in tow, since we have language arts together. I sit in the middle of the front row, with Devin to my left, and Morph right behind me, sadly. I walked into class, sat down, and pulled out my pleasure reading book, waiting for the starter sheet to be passed out. The book is "Airborn", by Kenneth Oppel, and I really enjoy it. I've been reading it for two days, and I've finished a third of it. It captivates me beyond compare, and I like the feeling it gives me, imagining what Matt Cruse and his companion, Kate De Vries are experiencing.

Anyway, as soon as I was given my starter sheet, I put the book away, got a pencil out and started to work on it. From that point on, all through the class, Morph spit-balled me. Whenever the teacher wasn't looking, I was wiping wet balls of paper off the back of my neck. I finally complained to the teacher about it near the end of class, and she got Morph to stop. I was very grateful.  
When class was over, I gathered my stuff and headed to science class. This was my final challenge, Leonardo. Lucky for me, I didn't have him for a lab partner. Instead, I had Katherine Argundy. She was a very kind person, and very interested in Science.

She was a helpful and enthusiastic partner. I'm glad I'm with her. Today, we would be mixing chemicals to see their reactions. Me and Katherine finished first, so we were allowed to do our own experiments. Sadly, this was when Leonardo struck. He sits on the table to my right, and always tries to do something to get me in some form of was different, though. But just as bad. He leaned over to me and whispered loudly enough for Katherine to hear, " Lucky you have Katherine for a partner, seeing you like her so much. " I felt my heart skip a few beats, because I knew he was lying, but Katherine didn't.

She raised an eyebrow at me. Being an adult, I knew how to play this cool. " You know he's lying right? " I asked her. She just continued to stare at me. " I mean you're a good friend, but not like I want you to be my girlfriend or anything. I have my sights set on a different type of girl, not that you being smart is bad or anything. You know? " Understanding dawned in her eyes, and she smiled and nodded, resuming her work. I smiled at Leonardo, and he glared daggers at me. So, needless to say, my final challenge with The Pack was easy. And surprisingly, I got an award for my work in my next class.

I walked into writing, sat down at my desk, and pulled out "Airborn". After a few seconds, the teacher asked for everyone's attention. I put my book away and focused on Ms. Pen. " Class, we will be welcoming a new student today. " I felt like perking up my ears, but they were squished underneath my cap. " She is from Simpsonville, and recently moved here to Greer. " A female student, interesting. I got a shock when she walked through the open door. " Class, please welcome Katana Delmontez. " Ms. Pen said, and we all looked to the door. In walked the most beautiful female saber I've ever laid eyes on.

Her sabers were long and slightly thin, her fur was the exact same shade as mine, and she was dressed in human clothes. Jeans, pink t-shirt, and a backpack. My jaw dropped at the sight of her. I hadn't at all considered the fact that my herd and I weren't the only ones who had been transported here. And here was a female saber, no doubt as confused as I was about all this. She seemed very shy, and kept her head down. Only glancing up to say hello. I could imagine Tanner or someone in The Pack teasing her ruthlessly about all the things they teased me about when I first came here. Then again, she was a girl, they may have tried to hit on her for some reason. In any case, I felt it was my duty to make friends with her.

To protect her from the pack, to make her comfortable here, she was one of my species after all. " Alright dear, why don't you sit at that desk over there? " Mrs. Pen said, and with a shock, I realized she was pointing to the emtpy desk right next to mine. My heart started beating incredibly fast. I watched her walk slowly down the row, head down, eyes focused on the floor.

I stared at her with awe and admiration, she was the most beautiful girl. I was a little disappointed she didn't even glance in my direction. She didn't glance in anyone's direction, actually, she just focused on Mrs. Pen. If she kept that up, I could consider her a good student, a possible friend. When class was over, Mrs. Pen gave us a homework assignment. We had to write a chapter story on a difficult romance. My mind instantly formed a plan. If I could at least become Katana's friend, that could be part of my story, and then if nothing else ever happened, I could imagine thet we had a romance and got together in the end. I layed out in my mind exactly how I would go about this. I would become her friend, maybe her boyfriend, which would be awesome, and at the same time, I would be getting an assignment done. Mrs. Pen wanted our stories to be long and complicated, so they were due at the end of the year.

In my assignment planner, I flipped all the way to the last page, and wrote " Difficult Romance Story due. Must be long&complicated. ". Then I gathered my stuff, and we were dismissed by the bell. I walked down the hall absentmindedly, thinking about how beautiful and good-charactered Katana seemed. I suddenly crashed into somebody, and our books fell on the floor. " Oh! I'm so sorry! Here, let me! " I said, picking up the other persons books before my own. When I handed their stuff back, I noticed them holding my stuff out to me. I grabbed it, and looked up at their face to thank them as I released their stuff into their grasp. My heart stopped beating as I stared into the sapphire-blue eyes of Katana Delomtez. My heart gave an unexpected lurch,and something inside of it snapped. I felt as though the blood in my chest had been heated, and I all of a sudden felt nervous and figity. What was wrong with me? Love had finally melted my icy heart, anchored it's roots in it, and was trying to grow.

Katana stared at me, a mixture of surprise and relief in her eyes. I didn't know what to say, and she stayed silent. We just stared at each other, me trying hold down my feelings. I had only known about this girl for a short time, and this was the first time we'd really met. What on earth could make me love her so? Perhaps it was, as they say, ' love at first sight'? I stood up and held my paw out. " Diego, friend. " I said quieely. She froze for a moment, before shaking my paw with hers.

" Katana. " she said quietly. Her voice was perfect, all the dips and ascends in her speech, it was beautiful! She instantly released my paw and stared hard at the 'tiles' on the floor. I thought fast, this conversation had to keep going.

" Um, you know we actually, uh, have the same English/Writing class. So, if you uh, ever need any help you could ask me. " I offered. She stared up at me so hopefully, with those big, beautiful sapphire eyes.

" Really? " she asked quietly. I smiled softly and nodded. She smiled back and looked away.

" Thanks. " she said

" You're welcome. " I replied. She glanced up at me once more, before putting her head down and walking around me. I turned to see her go. She was headed back to the class room; perhaps she had forgotten something. My grin stretched to my ears as I turned around. I was suddenly in an entirely different world. If I saw a poster of someone, Katana would appear on it, and just the image of her made me woozy. I saw hearts everywhere, and my own heart beat furiously with a new type of longing. I practically floated through the halls, easily manuvering around the other students. I exited the doors to the school parking lot, and got in the car that Manny let me use. Although I kept myself focused on the road, I couldn't help dreaming about Katana all the way home.

When I got home, I did my homework, read Airborn for a while, and then pulled you out. Today started rainy, but at the very end the sun burst though and chased the clouds away. Well, Sid's knocking on my door, so it's time for dinner. G'night!

Diego Wess Mammodoth


End file.
